Law Enforcement Made 1,351 DWI Arrests in 18 days

Minnesota state troopers, sheriff deputies and police made a total of 1,351 DWI arrests during the end-of-summer extra enforcement campaign.

The Aug. 19 – Sept. 5 DWI enforcement campaign included:

• Winona County Sheriff’s Office arrested a driver for DWI who had his intoxicated brother as a passenger. The brother was arrested for DWI less than an hour later while driving the same vehicle.
• Two Harbors Police arrested a motorist for fleeing and DWI after striking a firetruck and squad car at a crash scene. During the pursuit, the driver struck two more squad cars.
• Hutchinson Police arrested an individual who attempted to drive through a roundabout and got stuck.

DWI Arrests with Highest Alcohol Concentrations

A driver with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or above can be arrested for DWI, according to a news release.

Minnesota Traffic Deaths Rose Significantly Last Year

During the extra enforcement campaign, the highest alcohol concentrations recorded included:

• 0.38 – White Bear Lake Police Department
• 0.36 – Rochester Police Department
• 0.33 – Bloomington Police Department
• 0.32 – Minnesota State Patrol – District 2400 (Oakdale), Red Lake Tribal Police and St. Francis Police Department
• 0.31 – Owatonna Police Department

DWI Arrests by Agency

In the Twin Cities metro area, agencies with the most DWI arrests during the campaign included:

• Minnesota State Patrol District 2400 (Oakdale) – 89
• Minnesota State Patrol District 2500 (Golden Valley) – 67
• Minneapolis Police Department – 26
• St. Paul Police Department – 25
• Eden Prairie Police Department – 21

In Greater Minnesota, agencies with the most DWI arrests included:

• Minnesota State Patrol District 2100 (Rochester) – 40
• Rochester Police Department – 21
• St. Cloud Police Department – 20
• Minnesota State Patrol District 2700 (Duluth) – 17
• Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office – 15

The entire report of participating law enforcement agencies can be found online.

DWI Consequences

• Loss of license for up to a year, thousands of dollars in costs and possible jail time.
• Repeat DWI offenders, as well as first-time offenders arrested at 0.16 and above alcohol-concentration level, must use ignition interlock in order to regain legal driving privileges or face at least one year without a driver’s license.
• Offenders with three or more offenses are required to use interlock for three to six years, or they will never regain driving privileges.

Image: Fairfax County via Flickr /Creative Commons